Identification and Analysis of Two Organ-specific Expressed Genes in Rice

Research on tissue-specific expressed genes is essential for the understanding of the molecular mechanism of plant growth and development. By means of bioinformatics, RT-PCR and real-time PCR, two tissue-specific expressed genes in rice, Os01g18840 and Os01g28500, were identified. The Os01g18840 gene was specially expressed in the leaves, and Os01g28500 in the stems, leaves and glumes. Furthermore, under the stress treatments of PEG, NaCl, ABA or in the dark, the expression of the Os01g18840 gene was reduced, but that of the Os01g28500 gene significantly induced. Analyses on the structures of the genes and proteins revealed that the Os01g18840 gene encoded an intermediate filament protein containing one coiled-coil domain, while the Os01g28500 protein had a SCP-like domain relating to pathogenic infection. In addition, the analysis on their upstream promoter region indicated that there were a large number of cis-elements relating to leaf, mesophyll cell or green tissue expression.